Lindsay Ell Was Recently Diagnosed with an Eating Disorder; Has Hopes Her Story Will 'Inspire' Others

Charmaine Patterson
·3 min read
https://www.instagram.com/p/Conpb9buhPR/?hl=en lindsayell Verified I was on a podcast last week, and I shared something that I felt like I should share with all of you, because that’s what we do here. I got diagnosed with an eating disorder a few weeks ago, and have come to terms that it’s something I have been living in denial of for the better part of 20 years. I always told myself that an eating disorder would look like “that kind of body” and that there’s no way I could have one because I didn’t look like that. I told myself that the way I was living was fine because it was just part of my career… But it got to the point where it felt like it was taking over my life, and I no longer had control over what I ate or didn’t eat in the shadows. I got really good at pretending that everything was ok out in public but at home I was shriveling up. I know that eating disorders are flags to the need for deeper work, and I would love to share my journey as I go through my recovery. I have no idea of what that fully looks like, but I’m figuring it out day by day. If you wanna hear the podcast I did last week, check out the latest epi of @offthevinepodcast. I’m telling you all this because I know that it is the stories I hear that inspire me to be a better person. I hope in sharing this and my journey as I go along it, will inspire you to be honest with yourself - with what you’re feeling and what you’re going through. Regardless of what that may be. Sometimes it’s so easy to take care of everyone else but yourself. Hopefully you won’t need to live 20 years feeling something that you never deal with. So, this is where I’m at. With my hand on my heart… �� And hopefully I can take you along the road as I learn. 3h
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Lindsay Ell/Instagram

Lindsay Ell is hoping to help others after recently being diagnosed with an eating disorder.

The country musician, 33, opened up about her journey in an Instagram post Monday. She referenced her recent appearance on Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe, where she initially revealed what she's been experiencing.

"I was on a podcast last week, and I shared something that I felt like I should share with all of you, because that's what we do here," Ell began. "I got diagnosed with an eating disorder a few weeks ago, and have come to terms that it's something I have been living in denial of for the better part of 20 years."

She explained how her perspective has changed when it comes to misconceptions about disordered eating, including perceptions about appearance.

"I always told myself that an eating disorder would look like 'that kind of body' and that there's no way I could have one because I didn't look like that," she shared. "I told myself that the way I was living was fine, because it was just part of my career."

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However: "It got to the point where it felt like it was taking over my life, and I no longer had control over what I ate or didn't eat in the shadows. I got really good at pretending that everything was OK out in public, but at home I was shriveling up."

The "How Do You Love" singer said that eating disorders are a sign that "deeper work" is needed, and that she plans to share her recovery progress moving forward.

"I have no idea of what that fully looks like, but I'm figuring it out day by day," she stated.

"I'm telling you all this because I know that it is the stories I hear that inspire me to be a better person," concluded Ell. "I hope in sharing this and my journey as I go along it, will inspire you to be honest with yourself - with what you're feeling and what you're going through."

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While on The Bachelorette alumna's podcast, Ell and Bristowe, 37, were speaking about the ups and downs of life when Ell revealed, "I had a whole new kind of rock bottom last week that I didn't even see coming. I basically discovered that I have an eating disorder."

"Food became this thing that was like a drug, how I was abusing it," she explained. "It was just this relationship that was no longer a healthy thing."

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"It's basically admitting to myself that I had a problem. And not in a way of like 'Oh I am this', though it's something to blame. More in the way of 'Oh wow, I've been letting this thing have so much power and so much energy from my life.' "

She added that food and the eating disorder was the "symptom" of what was truly going on with her mental health, which urged her to "go get help."

Ell said she is now "showing myself grace and trying to love myself through it."

If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237 or go to NationalEatingDisorders.org.